The Life Biotic
by 7wanderers
Summary: Kaidan Alenko's version of events from my FemShep story "An Officer and a Not So Gentle Woman." And a little bit of backstory into Kaidan's early life. Rated M for sexiness and some language. Wrote this before we heard about Kaidan's mom in ME3.
1. Birthday Dismisses

"What a wonderful birthday," Kaidan Alenko sighed as he looked out the window of the private Conatix shuttle he'd been placed on.

Vrynnus had been dead only a few days and Kaidan had agreed to leave Brain Acclimation and Temperance Training after the incident. He was glad to be leaving Jump Zero, but he felt a horrible lump in his throat. Not only had he killed someone, but the girl he loved now hated him.

It was his seventeenth birthday and he spent it stuck on a rickety shuttle. There was no cake, no gifts, not even someone to wish him a happy birthday. Contatix had tried to keep the incident hushed, Kaidan felt like everyone on the shuttle knew what he had done. The rest of the passengers were just workers going home after their tour on the Gagarin Station, but he thought they all saw him as a murderer.

As the shuttle continued on its long journey back to Earth, Kaidan kept replaying the incident over and over in his head. It had been another day of rigorous biotic training. Everyone in the group resented their instructor, Vyrnnus. He was an angry Turian who held deep seated bitterness long after the First Contact War. He was especially rude to those kids whose families had ties to the Alliance.

Kaidan's father had been an Alliance engineer, but had remained on Earth throughout the war. This did nothing to waylay Vyrnnus' anger against Kaidan. Kaidan had put up with the turian's behavior fairly well, but when Vyrnnus began moving his anger to Rahna, his demeanor changed.

Rahna held a special place in Kaidan's heart. She was a beautiful girl a few years older, with soft black hair and rich, almond shaped eyes. She was reserved and chaste but it didn't stop them from having a few heated kissing sessions when they could find an empty supply closet. He and Rahna challenged each other in their studies, being two of the top students at the station. A lot of the other boys liked Rahna and Kaidan felt a little proud she preferred him the most.

The entire incident with Vyrnnus occurred during lunch. Everyone was eating in the mess, while Vyrnnus hovered in his corner with an annoyed expression on his face. He watched the young adults carefully, waiting for a chance to embarrass or chastise them. Rahna had just sat down when she reached for the communal water carafe on the table. "What are you doing?" Vyrnnus boomed behind her.

"I was just getting some water," Rahna replied, her face pale with terror. The imposing turian loomed over her, his beady eyes narrowing.

"Do you think this is a game?" Vyrnnus asked, grabbing the arm that still gripped the icy carafe. "Do you think you are ever going to gain control of your abilities if you don't use them all the time?"

He gripped her arm tighter, causing her to cry out in pain. "I want you to drink that whole glass biotically. I won't let go until you do it right," he demanded.

"Aw, let me go," she cried out. "I can't do it."

"You'll learn to do it because you won't have a choice when your arm is broken," he replied, gripping her arm tighter.

She felt a small crack in her forearm and cried out louder in pain. Kaidan had watched the scene from across the mess hall and had walked briskly over towards Vyrnnus. "Let her go," Kaidan said, standing to the side of Vyrrnus.

"Sit down Alenko," Vrynnus turned, his anger shifting immediately to Kaidan.

"No!" Kaidan yelled, adrenaline rushing to his trembling muscles. "You are hurting her!"

Vrynnus released Rahna's arm violently and picked Kaidan off the ground by his shirt collar. "I give you an order and you disobey me!" Vrynnus said angrily, spitting towards Kaidan. "If you spent half as much time training as you do cavorting with this little slut, you might become a half decent biotic," he added.

He shoved Kaidan backwards, sending him tumbling into one of the tables. "You are pathetic," Vrynnus said, as Kaidan tried to pick himself up. He kicked Kaidan in the stomach as he was trying to stand. Kaidan grabbed his thin leg and flipped him onto the ground, falling on top of him.

He punched Vrynnus once in the face and climbed off of him. He turned away and went to check on Rahna. He didn't notice Vrynnus climb to his feet and slowly pull a knife from his belt. "Kaidan look out," Rahna yelled as Vrynnus lunged towards him.

Kaidan spun around quickly and instinctively brought up a biotic barrier to protect himself. He grabbed at the hand that held the Talon knife. "Come on Alenko, you can do better than that," Vrynnus challenged. "You can't even fight me with your biotics," he laughed. Vrynnus kept pushing Kaidan backwards and eventually onto a table.

Kaidan didn't have the strength to fight the ropy Turian as the knife drew closer to him. Kaidan had never used biotics on another person, but he knew that if he didn't fight Vrynnus, the knife would soon do him harm. He pushed Vrynnus off with a powerful biotic kick, flinging the turian into the wall violently. He hit awkwardly and fell to the ground with a loud crash.

When Vrynnus didn't get up, someone went cautiously over to check on him. "I think he is dead," the girl went pale in the face.

"What the hell is going on in here?" one of the other instructors ran in, hearing the commotion from down the hall.

He saw Vrynnus on the ground and the tumbled state of the mess hall and looked at Kaidan, still shimmering with biotic energy. Rahna stood frozen in fear, her large eyes full of tears. "Alenko, what happened in here?" the instructor asked.

"I, I was just trying to make sure no one got hurt," he replied in a soft tone. His eyes remained transfixed on Vrynnus' twisted body.

Everyone else in the mess hall stood in silence staring at Kaidan. Another instructor came in and was sent to get a doctor. They sent everyone back to their rooms until the mess hall could be cleaned up. Kaidan sat alone in his room, his roommate no where to be found. He quickly slipped in when one of the instructors came to question Kaidan. The boy didn't even look him in the eye, and Kaidan knew nothing would ever be the same in his life. 


	2. Finally Home

When Kaidan woke up after drifting off to sleep, the pilot announced that they were only an hour from the New England Federated Spaceport. Kaidan would have to take another shuttle to Vancouver once he arrived in New Boston. He hadn't even had time to contact his father and hoped he could call him before he boarded the other shuttle.

The spaceport was horribly crowded and gave Kaidan a sense of nervousness. The training camp had been small and he wasn't used to big crowds. He gripped his bag tightly as he weaved through the crowds to get to his next gate. He managed a brief message to his father before he boarded the shuttle that would take him to Vancouver. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his father after so many years, however.

Kaidan had always had a good relationship with his father, Aren. When Kaidan's mother, Aidi became ill while he was away at BAaT, tensions within the family grew. Kaidan was their only child and Aren wanted Kaidan to return home to help care for his mother. Kaidan tried to explain to his father that he couldn't leave camp, but Aren wouldn't listen, mad with grief over his dying wife.

When Aidi finally passed, Kaidan could not even attend the funeral, Conatix wouldn't allow him off the station for even a week. Aren held deep seated resentment for Kaidan's biotic abilities and the cancer the incident in Shanghai had caused. Kaidan hadn't spoken to his father in quite a while and didn't know how he would react to his sudden return. He had no idea what he was going to do with the rest of his life and knew his father would demand more of him.

After arriving in Vancouver, Kaidan took the rail train to the coastal home his father had built with his own hands after retiring from the Alliance. His father sat on the porch, waiting for Kaidan to arrive. "Finally home," Aren said, as he stood to greet his son with a cold handshake.

"You finished the porch?" Kaidan asked. The porch had been unfinished when Kaidan was shipped off to BAat.

"Eventually," his father sighed and opened the front door. "Your mother would have hated what you've done with your hair," he added as they walked inside.

"Dad, can we not start this already?" Kaidan asked, angry at his father's tone of voice.

"What? You don't want me to mention her? You couldn't get home for the funeral but now you suddenly show up out of the blue a year later," Aren snapped.

As soon as Aren had seen his son, he'd been overcome with anger and sadness. Kaidan resembled his mother much more than him. They had the same eyes and thick, wavy black hair. Seeing his son brought back too many painful memories that were still fresh. He turned away from Kaidan and ran a hand over his face with a sigh.

"You know I couldn't leave," Kaidan replied, trying to remain calm. "I'd have rather been here with Mom. I loved her too."

His father said nothing, so Kaidan headed up to his old room to put his bag away. It was the same room he'd left, including the same rickety bookshelf his father had helped him put together. It was full of old sci-fi novels from the 20th. All the pages were well worn from Kaidan reading them so much.

He laid back on the bed that had grown too small for his lanky frame and began to think. An Alliance Navy poster hung above his bed on the ceiling. 'What about the Alliance?' Kaidan thought to himself. He never wanted to remain in a small place like Jump Zero again. He wanted to explore the galaxy like the heroes in his favorite books. He didn't want to be a marine stuck ground side, like his father had been. He knew that if he joined the Alliance navy, he'd be able to travel beyond the Charon Relay and out of the Local Cluster.

He grabbed one of the books off the shelf and flipped through it. It was a book about time travel and it made Kaidan wish he could go back and fix so many mistakes in his past. He wanted to be there when his mother passed and never to kill Vrynnus. He wished he could go as far back as the transport crash that had made him a biotic and killed his mother after her long battle with cancer. He decided he never wanted to use his biotics again. 


	3. Message in A Bookfold

Kaidan's thoughts about the Alliance were soon interrupted by his father knocking at the door. "I guess we'll have to start making you another bed tomorrow," Aren said, looking down at Kaidan's feet hanging over the footboard.

"Couldn't we just buy one?" Kaidan asked.

"We could, but then we would have to figure out something else for you to do while you decide how to pull your weight around here. I may not have had the chance to raise you as much as I would have liked to, but I didn't raise a lazy son," he said, trying to sound encouraging and not disciplinary.

"Whatever you say, sir," Kaidan sighed and looked back down at his book.

"We'll also need to see about a haircut," Aren added.

Kaidan frowned at his father with disdain but said nothing. He'd grown his wavy black locks out a little longer and didn't care about his father's opinion regarding it. He retuned his eyes down to his book as his father walked away without another word. Kaidan had read the book nearly twenty times already and practically had the first chapter memorized. As he read through it, a small note fell out. Kaidan was chilled by the handwriting on the front that read his name. He knew the handwriting was his mother's. He carefully unfolded the note and began to read it slowly.

"My dearest Kaidan,

I know this note will eventually find you. I remember reading this book to you when you were younger and always knew you would enjoy it. I wish I could say goodbye with you here with me, but I know how important it is for you to control the miraculous ability you have been given.

I have never been more proud in my life to call you my son. I know that you will go on to do great things. Always remember what I and your father have taught you. Never give up, no matter how hard the task seems. Whatever you choose to do in life, I know you will succeed. Don't let your father bully you into doing what he says, but know that he does it out of love. I love you so very much.

Love, Mom."

Kaidan finished the letter with tear running down his eye. He'd tried not to think about his mother after hearing of her death from one of the instructors. It was easy take his mind off her, because her death coincided with the arrival of Vrynnus. Kaidan rarely had a moment's peace under his brutal tutelage and never had time to mourn his mother. He read the letter again and folded it back up and returned it to the book that he replaced onto the bookshelf afterward. He wiped the tears from his face and eventually headed down to eat dinner with his father.

They didn't talk much and only about trivial things. Kaidan unpacked and headed to bed, tired from his long journey. He curled his legs up so he could fit on the bed and slept well for a change. Jump Zero had always been a little too cold for his taste and the beds weren't comfortable. He didn't have to worry about waking up early for biotic training and control drills either.

In the morning, he found his father already hard at work on Kaidan's new bed. Kaidan helped out as much as he could, though his father often had to tell him what to do. They finished the bed after lunch and rearranged Kaidan's room to accommodate the larger frame. "Why don't you throw some of these books out? You could have them on a datapad instead," Aren remarked, sliding the heavy bookcase out of the way.

"I like having them this way," Kaidan replied.

"Well, I've already arranged a job for you. Your cousin Marcus needs help at his business. You can start tomorrow and work until you figure out where you want to go to college. At least that damn biotic school got your education finished early. CBC has a good med college. Your mother would like that," Aren added.

Kaidan didn't dare mention joining the Alliance for the moment. He knew the last thing his father wanted to hear was that he was joining the military. Kaidan got along well with his cousin and hoped the job would get him by until he looked into the Alliance Academy some more. He still had an entire year before he could sign up and wanted to make sure it was the right choice. 


	4. Girl Trouble

Kaidan's first few months on the job at his cousin's agriculture business were hard. The hours were long and the labor was tough, but he managed to put on quite a bit of muscle on his rapidly growing frame. At seventeen and a half, he'd grown to 6'1". He didn't know how much more he had to grow. His father was 6'3" but his mother had barely reached over five foot tall.

His father finally convinced him to cut his hair, after a few more arguments and dirty looks. It was cooler to work in during the warm season and more easily manageable. When he wasn't working or reading, he was studying for the Alliance Academy entrance exams. He'd convinced himself that the Alliance was the best fit for him. He'd liked being a leader at BAaT and thought an Officer's Program would suit him well.

He still hadn't mentioned it to his father, but Aren found out eventually while looking for a missing tool in Kaidan's room. He found an academy study guide hidden under a stack of books and questioned Kaidan about it. "What is this?" Aren asked to Kaidan, who sat eating a sandwich in the kitchen.

"It is what is says, an Alliance Academy Study Guide," Kaidan replied. "Don't worry dad, I don't have a dirty magazine or anything hidden in there."

"I'd rather you did," Aren added. "I thought you were going to go to med school here in Vancouver?"

"That's what you want to me do. I don't want to be stuck here all my life. I want to see the galaxy, do some good."

"You've been reading too many of those damn books. The Alliance isn't some glamorous voyage across the galaxy. It is hard work and dangerous. We may be past first contact but those damn Batarians are still at our throats."

"I know dad," Kaidan frowned, throwing away the rest of his sandwich.

"I don't think you do Kaidan," Aren replied. "You want to go halfway around the galaxy, thinking you are going to save the day and get the girl. Let me tell you, the women in the Alliance are ten times worse than the men and the only thing you will be saving are files from all the reports and briefs you have to write."

"I don't want to fight about this with you dad," Kaidan protested. "My exam is in less than a week. If I don't get into the Officer's Program, then maybe I can look into college here."

"You are going in for the Officer's Program? Oh hell Kaidan what are you thinking?"

Kaidan grabbed the book and left the house without another word, tired of trying to reason with his father. His father had only been a lowly engineer in the Alliance and had been kept ground side on Earth for his entire tour. Kaidan knew he wanted more out of life. He climbed along the shoreline and found a place to sit down and study. He'd scribbled notes in the margins and read every line about ten times. He hoped he'd be ready for the test so he could get out of his father's house in a few months.

He didn't mention his test day to his father, he only let his cousin know so he could get off from work early. The small Alliance recruiting office was full of monochromatic posters promoting the navy. There were a handful of other men taking the test and only one woman. She sat by herself, reading the latest issue of Badass Weekly. She chewed on a large hunk of gum loudly and paid no attention to the other people in the room. She sat next to the only empty chair and Kaidan had to ask politely if he could sit down.

"Whatever," the girl responded, flipping her long blonde ponytail aside and moving her feet off the chair.

Kaidan got through the test with only a little stress, having spent so much of his free time studying for it. He was confident that he passed, but the scoring of the test was not based entirely on the right answer. Some of the questions were scenario-based and judged how long the applicant took to make a decision. Others tested for psychological weaknesses and strengths.

As Kaidan walked away from the office, the girl from the office ran after him. "Hey, soldier, slow down," she said, patting him on the back. "So do you think you passed?"

"I answered all the questions as best I could," Kaidan replied modestly.

"Yeah, I aced it," the girl bragged, hanging onto his shoulders.

Kaidan felt slightly uncomfortable, but walked along with the girl. "My name is Brit," she introduced herself. "You don't know where I can score some Hallex do you?" she asked, hanging on him again.

"Uh, no," Kaidan answered. "They test you for that you know."

"Hallex only stays in your system for a few days and doesn't show up on the test they do anyway," she replied. She continued walking with him for a while and finally blurted out. "So you wanna fuck?"

"What?" Kaidan blushed, stopping in his tracks.

"You know, sex," Brit looked at him with an annoyed expression. "Alliance guys like to party and you are hot," she added.

"I have to get home," Kaidan said, stepping away from her. "It was nice to meet you," he added, as he headed towards the train station at a quickened pace.

He wondered if this was what his father meant about Alliance women. He hoped they weren't all so aggressive and brazen. He'd attempted to be intimate with Rahna once, shortly before the incident with Vyrrnus but it didn't go as planned in the tight quarters they kept at Jump Zero. He had a picture in his mind of his ideal woman, made up from all the stories he'd read and the memories he had of his mother. He wanted to meet a strong woman like her, who was intelligent and independent but not afraid to show compassion. His encounter with Brit made him worry about his chances of ever meeting one. 


	5. Off to Arcturus

Kaidan was accepted into the Alliance Academy a month later, but had begun to have doubts about returning to such rigorous training. He'd begun having nightmares about Vrynnus and was afraid he might not make it through. His father had begun lecturing him that joining the Alliance wasn't something he could quit later if he didn't like it. As much as he hated hearing it, he knew his father was right and that he wasn't ready to make that sort of commitment.

He spent the next two and a half years working with his cousin and helping his father build an extension to the house. He dated a few girls that lived nearby and one that worked with him, but didn't feel a special connection to any of them. He'd written a letter to Rahna , who had returned home to Turkey, but she had never responded back. Boredom set in when he was twenty one and he reapplied for the academy. He still didn't know if he could make it through, but he wanted to try.

His father did not put up any objections, nor was he happy either. He saw Kaidan off with a late birthday present in hand, a datapad with all his favorite books downloaded onto it. Kaidan sat reading at the spaceport, waiting for his shuttle excitedly. He hoped he'd get to live a life of adventure like the characters in his favorite books. He couldn't wait to get to the Arcturus Station and began his studies. He was seated in between an older woman who sat by the window and a man who claimed the aisle and talked on his omni-tool too loudly. Kaidan's long legs pressed up to the seat in front of him, but there was nothing that could be done on the economy shuttle.

He tried to sleep through his uncomfortable posture, but woke up during the flight. He read until the massive space station could be seen in the far distance, just after they'd passed through the Arcturus relay. He leaned over his seat to look out the window, accidentally waking the old woman next to him. "Sorry, ma'am," he apologized.

"Oh you're fine," she laughed. "You remind me of my son when he took his first space flight. Do you want to switch seats with me?"

"Oh, no that's okay,"Kaidan replied.

"I need get up and use the restroom. Just scoot over before I get back," the woman replied.

The woman left for the restroom and Kaidan moved over to her seat by the window. He stared out at the distant space station with wonder. The ring-shaped station sat in the shadow of a giant yellow planet. "You must be joining the Alliance," the old woman asked when she returned.

"Yes," Kaidan replied. "I am hoping to get into the officer's program."

"Oh, my grandson is thinking of joining too. He's only sixteen though. Grew up on Eden Prime and has dreams of seeing the universe," the woman laughed. "I'm heading off to visit him."

Kaidan chatted with Mrs. Jenkins until they docked at Arcturus' central hub. As the passengers slowly disembarked, he began feeling nervous rather than excited. He didn't know quite what to expect to from the Academy. His father seemed to only tell him the horror stories about his time in the service, to discourage Kaidan from joining. He finally left the shuttle port and walked towards the intake office with his bag in hand, ready to start his new life. 


	6. Before An Officer, A Gentlemen

Kaidan's first few years at the Alliance Academy were tough. There were very few biotics in training and most of Kaidan's professors didn't know how to treat him. He was either superhuman or a freak of nature. He sometimes felt like an outcast and developed a habit of keeping to himself. He had a few good friends that he spent time with, but enjoyed relaxing by himself. The stress of his school work often caused him bad headaches that also contributed to his lack of a social life.

He'd met a few girls on the station, but never got too serious with any of them. He was too gentlemanly for the tough female cadets and a lot of the other young females on the station had protective fathers and brothers stationed within hovering distance. About a year from graduation he met a nice girl and dated her until he was assigned his first post.

Ella was the daughter of a sub-contractor who'd been off the station for a few years assisting with building the new fleet of Alliance frigates. She kept up the families' small apartment together and worked in the docking control center. Kaidan had passed her door on the way to a party with a few friends. The door had jammed open and there was no way to close it.

"Is there something I can help with?" Kaidan asked as she bent over, trying to pull on the door with her fingers.

"Not unless you are a door repairman," she snapped at him in frustration. When she looked up at him her face softened. "Sorry," she tried to smile. "I've been trying to get this shut for nearly an hour. I'm already late for work, but I can't just leave the door wide open."

"Let me see," Kaidan said, waving at his friends that he would catch up. He knelt next to her and slid open the electronic panel beside the door. "Do you have a nano-tool?" he asked her.

"I think my dad has one somewhere," she stood up to look for the tool.

She searched in another room and returned with it in her hand. She handed it to Kaidan and he began removing some of the boards from the panel. It only took him a few minutes to fix the short in one of the interfaces. The door closed and locked normally. "How did you do that? You aren't really a door repairman are you?" she wondered.

"No, I am just good with electronics," Kaidan smiled, handing the nano-tool back to her.

"Thank you so much," she smiled. "Can I buy you dinner or something in return?" she added without thinking.

"Don't you have to get to work?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh my, I totally forgot," she said, slightly flustered. "I might as well call in sick with how late I am. But you were probably going somewhere with your friends anyway," she rambled nervously.

"It was just a dumb party," he laughed. "But I am kind of hungry," he added, hoping to ease her sudden nervousness.

"I don't usually ask random cute guys out," she tried to laugh. "But, you know, none have swooped to my rescue and fixed my door."

She invited him into the front room and called her boss from the kitchen, explaining that she would not be able to make her shift. She threw a jacket over her uniform and returned to the front room where Kaidan was waiting patiently. They walked to a nearby restaurant to eat and talked for a while. They had a few things in common besides family being in the Alliance. They both liked to read and were addicted to the newest extranet game, Angry Krogans.

As the months passed and they continued to date, they drifted more into a friendly relationship than an intimate one. There was little sexual chemistry between the two of them and they eventually decided to become friends instead of lovers. Kaidan graduated from the academy later in the year and received his first assignment on the SSV Galileo.

He was given two weeks leave after graduation and returned to Vancouver to see his father. Aren had gotten over his initial anger at Kaidan leaving and was quite proud he'd graduated so high in his class. He still chastised him for trying to get into the officer's program however, which was nearly inevitable with his grades. Kaidan was happy to have his father's respect and returned from leave eager to start his military career. 


	7. Worth the Risk

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I wanted to get a head start on An Officer and a Not So Gentle Woman to prepare for Mass Effect 3. Even though Kaidan talks about his mom still being alive in the game, for the sake of this story, she will still be deceased as Aren's reason for resenting Kaidan's enlistment. ***

Kaidan's assignment on the SSV Galileo was the first of many in his early career. He soon began officer's training and began earning a meager commission. He was still stationed on the Rainier when the Skyllian Blitz occurred. The ship was too far away to offer any assistance but the fight got everyone's blood boiling. The crew was still buzzing about it weeks afterwards.

Kaidan sat in the officers' lounge, reading from his datapad. He'd been trying to finish an old novel that he'd read when he was younger. It didn't seem to have the same appeal now that he was older, but he was determined to finish it. Some of the other officers were watching AllianceNewsNet on the vid screen and talking loudly among themselves. It was just a medal ceremony, so Kaidan paid little attention to it. "Wow, can you believe they are giving a Second Lieutenant the Star of Terra? Kind of puts us all to shame," one of the officers laughed.

"I got my Medal of Bravery when I was a Second." Another officer quipped.

"Well, a Medal of Bravery is one thing. The Star of Terra is another."

Kaidan glanced up at the vid screen for a moment, being a second lieutenant himself. One of the admirals of the Second Fleet was pinning the large silver star on a young woman's chest. She was attractive for an Alliance soldier and had a long braid of copper hair that fell over her right shoulder. She stood stone faced, with a tight lipped smile as the admiral nodded and saluted her.

The slug line below listed her as 2nd Lieutenant Rachael Shepard. She had held a breached wall on Elysium for twenty-three hours with only civilian infantry. From what Kaidan could see, it looked like Shepard had taken the worst of the fire. She had bags under her eyes and a fresh pink scar under her lower lip. 'She's still pretty though,' he thought to himself as he looked at her. He found himself smiling slightly and wondered if he would ever get to serve with her. The Star of Terra was the highest honor in the Alliance and he hadn't heard of many women being awarded it. The next line noted that Shepard had been chosen to join the Special Forces branch, so he doubted they would ever meet.

He went back to his book when they'd moved on, but the name Shepard got stuck in the back of his mind. He tried to go back to reading but found his thoughts distracted. He'd missed having a connection to someone like he'd had with Ella, but he couldn't imagine dating one of his female comrades. Most of the women he served with had hardened their personalities to be 'one of the boys' and their brash behavior was a turn off. Neither could be imagine dating a civilian though. Some of the officers in the room with him had girlfriends and boyfriends on the colonies or Arcturus and Kaidan didn't see the point in being with someone he never got to see.

He got up and put his datapad away and walked around the ship for a little while. He finally decided to call his dad, just so he could hear a familiar voice. "How is the Galileo?" Aren asked when he picked up the vid comm. "I've heard mixed things about Captain Ikawa."

"The Captain is fine. Strict but fair," Kaidan replied and hesitated. "Dad, how did you and Mom meet?"

"We met in the hospital in Vancouver, you know that."

"Yeah, but what brought you together? Did you like her when you first met her?"

"Of course I did," Aren laughed. "Why? You aren't about to propose to some girl are you?"

"No, I don't even have a girlfriend. I am just curious how you found someone while being in the military."

"I was on shore leave and cut my hand on a band saw, trying to make some stupid gift for a girl in the Alliance I was wooing. Your mom fixed up my hand and I decided I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life instead. It was hard being away from her, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for something that is worth it."

"So you knew right away she was worth being so far way from?"

"Well, you are never completely sure, but your mom was everything I was looking for and nothing that I wasn't. She was pretty, smart, and compassionate. She liked playing holo-games and fishing. She would kind of bow her head to everyone she met as a sign of respect, no matter who they were. She was an amazing woman."

"Yeah, she was," Kaidan replied, quieted by the sadness in his father's voice. "I miss her."

"Well," Aren sighed. "Did you call just to ask about your mom or was there something else?"

Kaidan hadn't meant to bring up old memories, but he had called for no other purpose than to hear his dad's voice. "Oh, uh, I may get some shore leave in a month or two. How is the extension on the house coming?" he replied quickly.

"It is coming along, but I could always use an extra pair of hands. Is that when you are due for reassignment?"

"Yeah, I will probably be transferred to another carrier, maybe a cruiser. I'd really like to get onto a frigate like the Agincourt or the Hastings."

"You've got to take what you can get and prove you can serve on a good ship."

"Yeah, I know. Well, I won't keep you any longer. I will let you know when I hear something."

"Alright, take care son. And don't propose to anyone yet. You are still young."

"Okay dad," Kaidan nodded and signed off.

He thought about what his father had said and wondered if he could make the sacrifice if he met the right woman. Some of the larger ships allowed civilian contractors on board, so he thought he might not have to. He wanted to be close to someone, but he didn't want to get hurt either. He was glad he and Ella had ended on such good terms, but some of the men he served with had horror stories. He headed back to the officers' lounge to eat dinner and watched the rerun of the Elysium medal ceremony. When he saw 2nd Lt. Shepard again, he blushed a little. 'I hope I meet her someday, just in case she is an amazing woman too,' he thought to himself. 


	8. New Friends

Kaidan's next assignment was the SSV Jakarta, where he stayed for several years. As his commendations piled up, he moved to more prestigious ships. He finally got stationed on the SSV Hastings when he made Staff Lieutenant. His new rank gave him a lot more duties and he was put in charge of maintaining the outfit of marines that would get stationed on the ship from time to time. Kaidan hated having to bark orders at them, but many had never served on a ship before and needed to know the important differences.

He sat waiting one day in the ship's armory, waiting for the newest group to show up. A motley bunch was marched in, heads freshly shaved and uniforms right out of the packaging. Kaidan stood up and ordered the men to stand at attention. He led them through their daily duties and the ship rules and gave them leave to unpack in their bunks. "Where is the mess, sir?" one of the marines asked.

"Are you hungry or something? Jenkins?" Kaidan asked, looking at the man's name badge.

"I was so excited to be on my first ship I couldn't eat. I've got a pack of my grandma's cookies in my bags, but I wanted to save those," Jenkins replied.

"It is right next to the bunks, you can't miss it. But they don't serve lunch until 1300 hours. You probably won't find much."

"Thank you sir. I am Richard Jenkins, by the way," he nodded. "Proud to be serving on such a nice ship."

Kaidan felt a little hungry and followed Jenkins to the mess hall to grab a snack. He'd been doing some biotic drills earlier in the morning and had forgotten how draining they could be. Although he didn't use his biotics often, he still liked to maintain control of them. He sat down and talked informally with Jenkins while chewing on an energy bar. It was a specially formulated biotic bar and Jenkins couldn't help but ask about it. "I don't want to seem nosy sir, but are you a biotic?"

"I am," Kaidan nodded, wondering which reaction he would get, freak of nature or superhero.

"Oh, I've only heard of them. There weren't any biotics where I grew up," Jenkins replied.

"There aren't a lot of us out there."

"Human at least. I've seen plenty of Asari biotics in those vids. I didn't know they could use it for that," Jenkins grinned.

Kaidan could only assume he was talking about pornography and tried not to blush. Like any man, Kaidan looked at it, but usually kept his taste to the normal stuff. He had a few encrypted files on his datapad that he kept well hidden in his bunk. "Well, they didn't teach us that kind of stuff in school," Kaidan tried to laugh.

"That'd be fun practice though, right!" Jenkins slapped his knee.

Kaidan sat talking with Jenkins for a while before returning to his duties. They had different personalities, but seemed to get along fairly well. Jenkins had never served on a ship before and had a lot of questions to ask. Kaidan had only seen one ground deployment when he made First Lieutenant and tried to answer as best he could. Jenkins seemed to miss the fighting, but Kaidan taught him how to adjust to the usual boredom of ship duties. They often stayed up after hours playing competitive games on their datapads or raiding the mess stores for extra food.

Jenkins and Kaidan formed a friendship that they were able to maintain for a year before they were both reassigned. When the order came, Kaidan couldn't believe his eyes. "Can you believe this Alenko!" Jenkins ran in. "The Normandy! The first of its kind, mega stealth ship! The newest, most badass frigate in the whole fleet!"

"It is a big honor," Kaidan tried to seem humble, though he was very excited.

"No shit! Serving under Captain David Anderson! That guy is a legend! And the XO is some woman who won the Star of Terra. It is elite company!" Jenkins held up his fist in triumph.

"Shepard?" Kaidan wondered, remembering the name of the attractive woman he'd seen many years back. He hadn't read through the entire order yet and quickly pulled it up on his omni-tool.

"You know her?" Jenkins asked.

"Only heard of her," Kaidan read through the order and saw her named listed just below the Captain's. "She's a Staff Commander now."

"Yeah and an N7 graduate. She can probably kill someone with her bare hands!"

"Probably," Kaidan felt a fluttering in his stomach that he hadn't felt in a while. He'd served under a woman once, but never one he had an outright attraction to. He was anxious to see how he would react. In his past, he'd suffered from hero syndrome and was overly protective of his female comrades.

The captain of the ship appeared in the mess, so Kaidan had to quickly stand and salute. "At ease Lieutenant, Corporal," the captain nodded. "I assume you both got your transfer orders? Captain Anderson used to serve on this ship and asked for recommendations for his new crew. You two better make me damn proud."

"We will sir," Kaidan nodded with Jenkins and tried not to smile too much


	9. Uncomfortable Exams

Kaidan still couldn't believe he'd been transferred to the Normandy. It was the newest ship in the Alliance fleet and an experimental collaboration between the Alliance and the Turian governments. He felt honored to be one of its first crew and was glad Corporal Jenkins had been transferred as well. As young as Jenkins was, he had proved to be a good soldier. He was headstrong at times, but a deadly marksman. The two boarded the Normandy together, the name still being painted on the ship by a worker.

"Don't you just love that new ship smell?" Jenkins laughed.

"Wait 'til the rest of the crew boards and then it will start stinking like every other Alliance ship. Sweat, engine fuel, and the mess hall." Kaidan mused and looked around the small corridor that held the heat sink and weapons consoles. The ship was much smaller than he'd been used to, but was top of the line.

They walked into the CIC, where a large map of the galaxy was projected in the middle. "Whoa, check this out Alenko!" Jenkins exclaimed. An older man turned at the sound of their voices. He wore a captain's jacket over his BDU's.

"Sir," Kaidan saluted and Jenkins quickly followed suit with a red face.

"You must be Lieutenant Alenko?" the captain asked. "And you soldier?"

"Jenkins. Corporal Richard L. Jenkins, sir."

"I'm Captain David Anderson. Report downstairs to the medical bay for your physicals. We will have a quick debriefing when the rest of the crew arrives."

"Aye-aye sir," Kaidan nodded and saluted again.

Jenkins slunk behind Kaidan as they headed downstairs. "Well that didn't go well," Jenkins said quietly.

"I am sure he understands your excitement. It is a nice ship afterall," Kaidan replied.

"At least we will finally found out what our mission is. Being on this ship, who knows what it might be. It is exciting."

There were a few other crew members already in the medical bay, but only one doctor to attend them. She was an older woman, but still had fine features. Her greying hair was cut into a smooth bob and she had a thin frame. "Names?" she looked at the two men as the other crew members left.

"Alenko, Jenkins" They each introduced themselves.

"I'm Doctor Karin Chakwas. I see you're both from the Hastings. There was a bad case of scale itch going around that ship. I am afraid I am going to have to, uh." She said, glancing down at their belt buckles.

"Oh," Kaidan blushed slightly.

"You can undress over there. I'll also need to administer your annual prostate exam."

Jenkins turned white at the mention of it and Kaidan couldn't help but smile, even though the notion disconcerted him as much as it had Jenkins. "Is most of the crew already on board?" Kaidan asked as he undid his belt.

"Nearly everyone." The doctor called out from beyond the partition. "It will be a day until our XO arrives. She was called off leave."

"Commander Shepard, right?" Kaidan asked. His pants and belt clunked to the floor.

"That's right," Chakwas peeked her head around to see the two men with their pants around their boots. "Now, you'd know if you have scale itch. You can tell me now or I will see it myself."

"I believe it was some of the younger recruits ma'am, not us." Jenkins eyed her nervously.

"Very well, I believe you both have been through this before." She disappeared behind Jenkin's partition. Kaidan heard him yelp slightly and nearly started laughing, but he knew he was next.

"Alright Jenkins, you are okay. You can get dressed and I will finish taking your vitals and medical history," Chakwas said, as Jenkins let out a relieved sigh.

Kaidan swallowed the lump in his throat as the doctor walked into his partition. "Are you ready, Lieutenant?" she asked. He nodded and slid down his briefs. He'd had exams before, but most of them had been administered by a male doctor. He gritted through the discomfort and the doctor was quickly finished. "Everything feels normal, zip up and I can check your vitals."

Chakwas quickly finished Jenkins' history and vitals and sat Kaidan down on one of the med tables. "You have a pretty extensive history," Chakwas looked down at her datapad. "You are an L2 biotic? Have the headaches been manageable?"

"For the most part," Kaidan nodded. "They come more when I am under stress."

"That is understandable," Chakwas nodded.

"So you know the Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes. We've served a few tours together," Chakwas smiled slightly and scanned his heart rate and blood pressure. "She is a tough commander, but forgiving. I think you will do just fine under her. Alright, that is all I need for you. You are in perfect health."

"Thank you doctor," Kaidan climbed off the table and headed for the mess.

"She is going to have a fit when she sees you," the doctor said to herself quietly after he walked out, a smile spreading across her face


End file.
